What is character swap in AI video?

Updated October 21, 2026 · Reviewed by The Rift team

Short answer

Character swap replaces one person in a video with another person, a pet or a made-up character, from head to toe, while the place, camera and action stay. Unlike face swap, the new body, hair and clothes match. In Rift, share the video, add a photo of the new character, and tell Spark who to replace. Tap Make for up to 15 seconds.

A character swap points at one person in a video and says: them, but someone else. To try one, see swap a person in a video on iPhone.

What changes

The face, body, hair and clothes of the person you name.

What stays

The place, the camera, the timing, the other people.

Where people use it

Trends: you instead of the dancer.
Memes: your friend as the reaction face.
Ads: your own model in a winning ad’s shot.
Pets: your cat in a cat video that went big.
Characters: your page’s recurring character dropped into any trend.

How to do one in Rift

Share the video into Rift.
Add a photo of the new character, or pick a saved one.
Tell Spark: “Replace the man in the grey coat with me.”
Check the Draft and tap Make.

The full guide is how to replace a person in a video.

Questions people ask

Can I swap more than one person?

Yes. Say who replaces whom, like "me for the one on the left, Sam for the one on the right".

Can I swap a person for a pet?

Yes. "Swap the dancer for my dog" works.

Can I swap someone into a famous scene?

Use yourself, people who agree, pets or original characters. Don't put real people's faces anywhere without their OK.

Does the rest of the video change?

No. The place, camera and timing stay.